


a place to stay

by BnessZ



Category: Fruits Basket
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:15:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26125609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BnessZ/pseuds/BnessZ
Summary: A soft morning in a new and bright relationship
Relationships: Honda Tohru/Sohma Kyou
Comments: 6
Kudos: 49





	a place to stay

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my fic for Once In A Lifetime Zine that I can finally share. Enjoy~

Golden beams cut through the fog, shaped by the treeline. 

Kyo slows to a walk, breathing in the crisp air. He never thought much about sunrises. Shishou used to go on about new beginnings and embracing the light, but none of it meant anything to Kyo, not when his life was drenched in darkness. 

But now…

Kyo hears humming from inside as he slides open the door. She stands there, drying dishes and setting them to the side. Food sits on the table, steaming and perfectly portioned. He grins. The warmth of the sun soaks into his back as he watches her clean the dishes, humming slightly off tune, and the smell of a freshly cooked meal drifting towards him. Heavenly. 

He doesn't know what he did to deserve this, but he'd do it a thousand times over, if needed.

Tohru turns then, blinks once, and gives a smile full of affection. The ghosts of the past try to pull Kyo back, threatening to swallow him back into the pitch black world of nothing but hatred. 

But they are nothing compared to her. 

“Kyo-kun!” Tohru places the dish towel down in favor of walking towards him, arms straight out. “Kyo-kun!” 

Chuckling, Kyo accepts her into his arms, pulling her close to his chest. “You're up early.” 

Tohru makes a content sound. “I wanted breakfast to be ready for you.” 

“I can cook, you know.” he pauses, pushes Tohru away just to hold her hands and look at her face. “But yours is better.” 

“I disagree.” 

A flutter in Kyo’s stomach. It’s a sensation he used to be scared of, used to push away and keep tight under the lid. Now, it makes him feel light and happy, filled with disbelief. Blood pools under the skin of his cheeks and he turns his head away, squeezes her hands. “You’re a weirdo.” 

Tohru’s only response is a grin, eyes slipping shut. It makes Kyo’s mind fill with cliches. He feels like he could fly; like he’s not falling for Tohru, but climbing to new heights with her. It’s this rush of warmth through his veins that somehow makes all the bad disappear, as if it never mattered in the first place. 

Because of course it didn’t. Nothing really mattered as much as Tohru. 

Kyo clears his throat. 

"What'd you make?"

Silence. Tohru sways, eyes roaming the room. Bashful. "Take a guess."

He raises a brow, moves slightly to see past her. A new swarm of butterflies pass through his stomach, even his chest. "Omurice? Really?"

"Well, it is your favorite."

"How did you even know that?"

"Hehe."

"You… you're really something, you know?"

"Mmm, and you're everything."

If jaws could truly drop, Kyo is sure his would have. All he can do is stare at Tohru, stare at this bright yet gentle light. Her smile is shy, honest, pink dusting across her cheekbones. Her eyes fill with stars before slipping closed, hands tightening around his.

Grazing fingers across her cheek, Kyo feels his face soften to an impossible degree. “I’m nothing compared to you.” The words fall from his lips without any thought. As soon as they process, he all but cringes, embarrassed. Everything inside Kyo tries to tell him this is wrong, that this isn’t what he was built for. But the soft skin under against his fingers brings him back to reality. It reminds him that this is what he wants, what he loves, and he can’t bring himself to ruin it.

"Ah, good morning."

Kyo swallows down a groan. If he doesn’t kill the moment, someone else must. The curse never truly ends. 

Tohru blinks, eyes unfocused. "What?" She whips her head over to the stairs, asmiles flashing over her face as she spots Yuki.. "Oh, good morning." The words are muddled to Kyo’s ears, like he’s stuck underwater. The panic from before is back, and he isn’t sure— 

Something soft grazes over his knuckles. Kyo looks back at Tohru, sees her head cocked to the side, eyebrows drawn. "What was it you said, Kyo-kun?"

"Nothing." Kyo clicks his tongue and pulls away from Tohru, letting her hands fall to her sides. He misses the contact immediately. Of course she didn’t hear him, and he’s almost relieved. No way in hell he’s going to repeat such sap in front of him. "Damn rat." 

Yuki puffs out a laugh. “You’re blushing, dumb cat.” 

“Shut up.” 

“Don’t worry about him, Honda-san.” 

“Ah, but—” 

Sighing, Kyo grabs the milk carton, taking it to the table. He watches Tohru and Yuki from the corner of his eye. How Tohru grins, chuckles, how her eyes drift to Kyo every few sentences, as if he is deserving of her in any way. 

Though if there’s anything she has really taught him, it’s that he shouldn’t think that way. Seeing the best in everyone, including yourself, is something they learned together. 

When the hell did he become so soft, anyway? 

Kyo looks down at his plate. Drawn poorly in ketchup on the omurice is a smiling cat and riceball. He can’t help but grin, scoffing and glancing back at a now flustered Tohru. Yuki is laughing, something that has become more common lately, and Kyo briefly wonders what he said. Though, he supposes, it doesn’t take much to frazzle her. It’s one of her many charms. 

Kyo takes a bite of breakfast. It melts on his tongue and he doesn’t hesitate in shoelving the rest down. Tohru’s cooking will never cease to amaze him. He follows it with some milk, acknowledging Yuki with a raised hand when he takes a seat across from Kyo. 

“Tohru,” he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, “have you eaten yet?” 

She hops over, picking up his empty plate. “Mm! Did you like it?” 

“What a silly question,” Kyo mumbles. He reaches out, grabs a strand of her hair. 

Tohru stills, searching his eyes for a moment, before hers slip closed, cheeks pink and smile wide. 

At that moment, Kyo wants nothing more than to pull her to him, hold her tight, and kiss her as if there were no tomorrow. But he can see Yuki’s teasing expression from the corner of his eye, so instead, he stands up slowly. Face hot he pushes those thoughts out of his mind, reminding himself to calm down. Walking by, Kyo places a feathlight kiss into Tohru’s hair, and says, “I’m going to shower.” 

Tohru grabs his hand before he fully passes, brushing her lips against his knuckles. 

They lock eyes, and Kyo feels grounded for once in his life. 

Kyo has finally found home.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think :3  
> Cry with me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/fruitsofrice)


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